britax decathlon: Baby Bargains, 8th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture

Product Details

Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Windsor Peak Press; 8th New ed. edition (April 25, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1889392332
ISBN-13: 978-1889392332
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

By : Denise Fields (Author)
Price : $3.99

Baby Bargains, 8th Edition: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Gear, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! (Baby Bargains: ... on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys,) [Paperback]

Customer Reviews

I LOVED the 7th addition of this book. It was well-researched and seemed relatively unbiased. I relied on it for info on ALL of our major baby purchases. When we found out we were having 2, I eagerly ordered the new (8th) edition. I'm not sure what changed, but some of the integrity and lack of bias has gone out the window! I am SO disappointed!
Here are just some examples of what I mean:
While they mentioned several different bottle brands in the 7th ed., they only recommend two in this edition...two of the most expensive ones.
They claim that outlet covers are the 1 waste of money in their safety section (they actually recommend moving your furniture around to block outlets - how practical)...but then these are the second thing they list under safety "must haves".
And the big one: Cloth diapers - in the 3 short weeks since we switched to cloth diapers to save money, even I know enough to spot the bias in their information. They basically try to make the argument that cloth does not save you money over disposables. The amount they claim you'll spend on disposables is way too low - you'll spend easily $800-900 a YEAR buying the economy packs of mid-priced diapers ; wipes Target for ONE child. This is a MUCH higher number than the roughly $300 we spent ONE time to switch to cloth diapers ; wipes that we can continue to use for as long as we have kids. They take it for granted that "most folks don't have the time or energy" to wash their own cloth diapers. What they don't tell you is that, if you have at least one diaper-aged kid, it's no big deal to do an extra load every couple of days. They then conclude that, based on their (wrong) assumption that you'll NEED a diaper service, you'll spend tons of money on cloth diapers "in just the first year". Umm, unless you choose to use a diaper service, you don't HAVE to spend any more money after the first year, because you don't have to buy any more diapers! Cloth is one of the biggest money-saving options parents have, so why are they trying to convince you otherwise?
In the previous edition, there were several instances where they were honest about admitting when they didn't have all the info on a given product, and therefore couldn't make an informed judgment. It definitely would have benefitted their readers if they were a little more honest about that in this edition as well.
There is still some good info, which is why I gave it the rating I did. However, be on the lookout for incomplete or seriously biased information!

I probably regret this purchase more than any other pregnancy-motivated purchase I've made to date. It really represents the greatest of all pregnancy missteps-- the substitution of silly advice for your own common sense.
A book cannot possibly keep pace with new products the way the reviews at a website can. On average, the sample size of user/reviewers at a website like amazon will surpass what this book can offer. There are many great bloggers out their reviewing products and plenty of product rating sites to boot that will be more current and helpful.
Moreover, whatever your income bracket, website reviews will do a better job of linking you to people whose income situation and perspective are similar to yours. Though my husband and I are both professionals, we just weren't the target audience for this book. With a straight face, they recommended an $800.00 budget for maternity clothes (over $150 for your maternity undergarments alone! Did you know Agent Provocateur had a maternity line?) and spending $600.00 as a middle-of-the-road amount for a convertible crib. Nice convertible cribs are now available for much closer to half that amount. In short, when I contemplate a $375 dollar stroller, I don't want to hear the perspective of someone who would spend that money on a pair of shoes without thinking twice. I want to hear from people who thought long and hard about it and who viewed the stroller as a major purchase in the same way that I would--did THAT person feel it was worth the cash?
I also found their rationale for ratings dubious: "This huge crib company had a single model two years ago that had to be recalled after several babies were injured, some fatally, so we give them an F. Avoid." Well, okay. That's an understandable emotional response, but not a rational one. I think it likely that the experience was educational for the crib company in question and that the resulting lawsuits taught them to do more thorough checks-- they're probably now more cautious than ever when it comes to product design ; safety testing. Another reality check for me was criticism of the maternity clothes at a couple major chains-- while I don't dispute that their quality is often dubious, the authors failed to recognize that for many of us in America, those chains and box stores are ALL THAT ARE AVAILABLE. Moreover, most of us really don't see clothes that will only be worn for 6 months (at the outside) as an investment opportunity, so quality isn't of paramount importance. Besides, how do you review clothing lines in a useful way in a book? They change constantly. Far better to look up reviews online for the exact shirt you are thinking about.
I don't find that the authors have any special insight into what parents will need and use. They do not test products in any meaningful way a la consumer reports. They do not share the perspective of most Americans when it comes to "bargains." If you can get to the internet, you can do better for free. If you can't (which means you're not reading this), and you don't crave a patronizing authority figure to tell you what to do, save the money for a cute onesie or a copy of Happiest Baby on the Block.